Alpha Stone POV

I walked back to the guest secretariat with Alpha Alaric. The air felt cold.

Alaric walked with a confidence that irritated me. He moved like a man who already won the war.

We reached the sitting room. My three chefs stood by the wall. Fenris looked bored. Varg kept twitching his nose. Skade watched the door.

We sat down. The silence between us was like a sharpened blade.

"You won't win this competition, Stone." Alaric said.

He leaned back in his chair. He did not blink.

"I have heard your boasts before." I replied.

I looked at Fenris.

"My chefs are the finest known in this time. They have cooked for kings and conquerors. Your ghost chef is a girl in a mask."

"She is more than a girl." Alaric said.

His voice was low.

"She is the future of this kingdom. You are about to witness something your tongue cannot forget."

Soon, Sophie arrived.

She carried a silver tray. She did not look at me. She placed the tray on the table.

On the tray sat small, round items. They were colorful. They had a smooth top and a creamy center. I had never seen food that looked like jewels.

"What is this?" I asked.

I let out a laugh of mockery.

"Are we playing with children's toys? I asked for a meal, not pebbles."

"It is a macaron." Sophie said.

Her voice was steady.

"It is a special dessert." Alaric said.

He looked at the tray with pride.

"Sophie made it for me. I believe it is one of the finest desserts that one could ever taste. Go on, Stone. Taste the defeat."

I reached out. I picked up a pink one. It felt light. I put it in my mouth. The shell cracked. The center melted.

A burst of flavor hit my palate. It was sweet. It was complex. I felt my eyes widen.

"Uhhhmmmm!"

I made a pleasing sound before I could stop myself. The flavor was perfect.

"You see? I told you." Alaric teased.

He saw my reaction.

"Your chefs are no match for my chef. You should pack your bags now."

"Oh, please. This is nothing." I replied.

I felt the heat in my face. I forced a look of disgust.

"This is a sugar trick. It is nothing compared to what my chefs are capable of. My men cook meat that can make a wolf weep."

Chef Fenris stepped forward. He looked at the tray.

"May I taste the dessert, Alpha?" Fenris asked.

I nodded. I wanted him to tell me it was garbage. Fenris took a bite. He closed his eyes. He made a pleasant sound. He looked like he was in a trance.

"Hmmmmm." Fenris whispered.

He dropped the rest of the macaron.

He quickly arranged his apparel. He straightened his tunic. He looked like he had made a mistake by appreciating another chef's meal. He refused to look at me.

"I leave you to think about this gamble." Alaric said.

He stood up.

"Make a decision. The stakes are high. My kingdom against yours."

Alaric left the room. His guards followed him. The ghost chef walked behind him. I watched them go.

As soon as I could no longer hear their footsteps, I turned to Fenris. I slammed my fist on the table.

"Why would you gush over her food like that?" I asked.

I roared the words.

"You are my master chef. You made me look like a fool."

"You also gushed over her food, Alpha." Fenris said boldly. He did not flinch.

"We can lie to everyone, but our tongue never lies when it tastes something unique. That girl has a gift. Her hands use magic we do not know."

"It is just a sweet." I muttered.

"It is a warning." Fenris replied.

"We do not have to engage in this competition. You are risking the entire Moon Crescent Pack for a game. If we lose, we lose our land. We lose our identity. It is not worth the risk."

"We will do it because someone has assured me that we would win." I roared.

I thought of Magnus. The Grand Prince had promised me victory.

"From the smell of the dessert, I can tell it is a special one." Varg added.

He was still sniffing the air.

"Her scents are balanced. They are strange. They do not belong to our woods. What if we lose to her, Alpha? The council will hang your head on a spike if you lose the pack."

I sat down. My heart hammered. The taste of the macaron was still in my mouth. It was a terrifying taste. It was the taste of a superior enemy. I saw reason. I realized the danger. I was a fool to listen to Magnus.

"You are right." I said.

My voice was quiet.

"I cannot risk the pack for a mere competition. The stakes are too high. I will tell them the deal is off."

I pulled a small piece of parchment.

I wrote a short message to Magnus. I told him I could not go through with it. I told him the risk was too great. I sent a guard to deliver it.

I felt a weight lift from my shoulders.

Not long after, the door opened. It was not Magnus.

It was Elder Hrothgar. He did not look like a man of peace. He carried a heavy, leather-bound book. He placed it on the table in front of me.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It is a record." Hrothgar said.

He opened the pages.

"This book records all the offerings you, Alpha Stone has collected from the Blackwood Kingdom over the last five years."

I felt the blood drain from my face. I looked at the numbers. Every bag of grain. Every jar of gold. Every crate of medicine I had taken in secret was listed there.

"These offerings did not get to your council." Hrothgar said.

His voice was like a snake.

"You kept the best for yourself. You grew fat while your people ate scraps. If we show this to your pack, they will tear you apart."

"You would not dare." I whispered.

"We will let all your secrets be exposed." Hrothgar threatened.

"The Moon Crescent Pack loves a strong leader. They hate a thief. We will tell them you sold their future for your own silk sheets."

"What do you want?" I asked.

I gripped the edge of the chair.

"Engage in the competition." Hrothgar said.

"Grand Prince Magnus will ensure Moon Crescent wins. He has already prepared the way. The ghost chef will fail. You will take the harvest rights. You will be a hero to your people."

"And if I refuse?" I asked.

"Then you will be a corpse by sundown." Hrothgar replied.

He closed the book. He left the room without another word.

I stayed in the dark. My chefs watched me. They knew I was trapped. I had no choice. I had to play the game of the Grand Prince.

The next morning, I set up a meeting with Alpha Alaric in the Great Hall. The sun was bright, but I felt cold. Alaric sat on his throne. He looked at me with those gold eyes.

"Have you made your choice, Stone?" Alaric asked.

"I have." I said.

I stood tall. I hid the trembling in my hands.

"I have agreed to the stakes. The competition will hold. My chefs against your ghost chef. My harvest rights against your crown."

Alaric smiled. It was a look of pure joy. He thought he had me. He thought his chef would save his kingdom. I looked at him and felt a dark pity.

Blackwood can never win when their kingdom is divided against it own king.

Elara POV

I sat in my room. The silence felt heavy.

I looked at my hands. They were clean. I had washed away the blood of Morgana.

I killed my trusted maid to save my own life. Now I have to do the dirty work myself. I no longer have a shadow to walk the dark halls for me. The air in the chamber felt cold.

I missed the presence of my servant. I did not miss her soul. I missed her utility.

I stood up. I paced the stone floor. My silk dress hissed against the rug.

I have spent years building my position in this palace. I will not let a girl from nowhere destroy it.

I sent a message through a page. I sent for Cook Damien. He is a man of low morals and high greed. He is perfect for my needs.

He arrived ten minutes later. He kept his head down. He wore his white kitchen tunic. It was stained with grease at the hem. He looked nervous. He should be nervous.

"Why have you not used what I gave you yet?" I asked.

I did not offer him a seat. I stood by the window. I watched the guards in the courtyard below.

"I tried, My Lady." Cook Damien said.

His voice was thin.

"But the ghost chef is like a hawk. Sophie always stays with the food. She stays from the moment the fire starts until the plate is served. She does not leave the kitchen. She does not even turn her back."

"You are a master of that kitchen." I said.

I turned to face him. I let my eyes narrow.

"You have worked there for twenty years. She has been there for weeks. Are you telling me a child is smarter than you?"

"She is careful." Damien replied.

He wiped sweat from his forehead.

"She keeps her spices in a locked box. She watches every hand that moves near her pots."

"I heard about the competition." I said.

I walked toward him. I stopped a few inches away.

"The northern clan is here. There will be a great match. I know Cook Silas and you will be her assistant cooks. The Alpha will chose you because you have more experience and expertise than the others. This is the perfect time for you to use the poison."

"The Alpha wants us to help her win." Damien whispered.

"I want her to fail." I said.

I reached into my pocket. I pulled out a small glass vial. The liquid inside was clear as water. It has no smell. It has no taste.

"This is the perfect time. The kitchen will be chaotic. There will be three northern chefs. There will be fire and steam. She cannot watch everyone at once."

"If I get caught, the Alpha will execute me." Damien said.

"If you do not do this, I will execute you. Not just you but your family too. Remember what I told you the last time." I threatened.

My voice was like a blade.

"I know about the grain you stole from the stores last year. I know you sold it to the black market. One word from me to Thomas and your head will be in a basket before the moon rises."

Damien turned pale. He began to shake.

"I will do it." He said.

"I will find a way."

"You must." I said.

"During the competition, she will be focused on the northern chefs. Wait for the moment she plates the final course. This is the perfect thing to use. One drop is all it takes. It will not kill anyone. It will only ruin the taste. It will make the food bitter. It will make her look like a fraud in front of Alpha Stone." I said.

A wicked smile appeared on my face.

"I understand, My Lady." Damien said.

I stretched my hand and offered that he takes the vial.

He took the vial with a trembling hand.

"Get out." I commanded.

He stumbled out of the room. I felt a surge of power. I did not need Morgana. I only needed fear.

I grabbed a dark cloak. I headed for the secretariat of Grand Prince Magnus. I moved through the side corridors. I avoided the main gates. I reached his door and walked in without knocking.

Magnus sat by his fire. He looked like a man who had already drunk a gallon of wine. But I saw his eyes. They were sharp. He was not as drunk as he pretended to be.

"You killed your trusted maid." Magnus said.

He did not look up from the flames.

"I had to." I said.

I sat across from him.

"I did it because of the incompetence of your rogues. They failed to kill the physician cleanly. They let Thomas get too close. I had to clean up the mess."

"It was your idea in the first place." Magnus said.

He finally looked at me.

"You wanted the girl gone. We almost got caught because you were impatient."

"The girl is still here." I snapped.

"And now she is cooking for the northern clan. Alaric is betting his crown on her."

"Let him bet." Magnus said.

He let out a dry laugh.

"This time my idea will work. I have spoken to Alpha Stone. The stakes are set. If she fails, the Moon Crescent Pack takes the harvest rights. They take the food. They take the medicine."

"And if she wins?" I asked.

"She will not win." Magnus said.

He stood up. He walked to a map on the wall.

"I have a perfect plan in place. I will make sure the ghost chef fails. When the resources are gone, the pack will starve. They will grow angry. Alaric will look like a fool who traded their lives for a cook. Everything will be taken away from him. A coup will begin. The elders are already hungry for his blood. He will be dethroned."

"And what of Sophie?" I asked.

"She will be executed for treason." Magnus said.

"The people will demand it. I will take the throne. You will have your place by my side."

I looked at Magnus. He was a monster. But he was a monster I could use.

I thought about the competition. I thought about Sophie standing over a ruined pot of food. I thought about the look on Alaric's face when he loses his kingdom.

I headed back to my chamber. I felt a cold joy in my chest. If Magnus plan fails, mine will work. I have lived in the shadow of that girl for too long.

Alaric looks at her with a light he never gave to me. He protects her. He treasures her. But he cannot protect her from the rot inside his own house.

I looked out at the northern forest. The sun was setting. The day of the competition is coming.

I touched the place where Morgana used to stand. I did not feel guilt. I only felt anticipation.

I was happy that at last, that ghost chef who had caused me so much trouble will finally fail.

Alaric POV

Alpha Stone finally agreed that the competition should hold. He is playing with fire. It will surely burn him.

I know his pack is struggling. I know he wants our herbs and grains to feed his dying borders. But I am the Alpha of the Blackwood Kingdom. I do not lose.

My ancestors built these walls on the bones of those who underestimated us. I felt the wolf within me pace. It sensed the coming conflict.

I called for Cassian. I told him to send for all the elders and cooks. I wanted everyone to hear the terms of this battle.

This was not just a kitchen match. It was a treaty signed in salt and blood. I stood by the window of the great hall. I watched the servants scurry below.

They were moving benches and clearing the floor. The tension in the palace was a physical weight. It hung in the damp air of the corridors.

Everyone gathered in no time. The great hall was filled to the brim. The air felt hot from the breath of many wolves.

I stood before the throne. I looked at the sea of faces. I saw the northern chefs standing with their arms crossed.

Their leather aprons were worn. Their knives were polished. They looked like soldiers. I saw the elders whispering in the corners. They looked worried. They smelled of old parchment and anxiety.

"A competition will be happening between the Moon Crescent Kingdom and the Blackwood Kingdom." I announced.

My voice echoed off the high stone arches.

"We will be choosing the theme today. The competition will have three rounds. The chefs will have like two or three days to prepare and gather their ingredients."

I looked at Sophie. She was standing near the front. Her presence always calmed the storm in my head.

She looked at me. I saw her take her hand to the side. She was waving three fingers for me to see. Her expression was intense. She made her brow in a way that suggested deep thought.

She is saying I should give them three days to prepare. My mind screamed.

I felt a different kind of relief. I wanted to give her exactly what she needed to win. I wanted her to have every advantage. If she asked for three days. I would give her the sun and the moon to match.

"The competition should have started tomorrow." I said to the crowd.

I adjusted the collar of my tunic.

"But that is not enough time for the chefs to prepare. They have three days to gather their supplies. The competition begins on the third day from the fifteenth hour."

I looked at Alpha Stone to ask if that is fine by him. He nodded slowly. He seemed to have a different kind of confidence today. His mocking smirk was gone. It was replaced by a cold, steady gaze.

He looked like a man who had been promised a win. I wondered what had changed his mind overnight.

"Let us begin with the theme for the competition." I said.

Cassian brought six parchment papers. He moved with the quiet efficiency of a shadow.

He gave me three. He handed the other three to Alpha Stone. I looked at the blank paper. The texture was rough under my fingers.

"Write whatever theme comes to your mind." I told Alpha Stone.

"I will write mine. We will combine them to give the theme for each round."

I began to write. I wanted to challenge the northern chefs. I wanted to see if they could handle something they don't know. I wanted to strip away their normal traditional recipes.

I wrote the word Unknown. I raised my paper up. Alpha Stone did the same. Cassian took the papers. He read them both together. Alpha Stone had written the word Dish.

"The first theme is Unknown Dish." Cassian announced.

I looked at Alpha Stone. He nodded. Then made a smile that looks irritating. It was the smile of a man who held a secret card. I felt a flicker of suspicion.

"The first theme is Unknown Dish." I told the hall.

"This means the chefs from both packs will make a dish that is not known in this time. It must be something original. It must be something unique. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Everyone said in unison.

The sound was like a drum hitting the floor.

We took the second parchment paper. I thought about the regions. The north has cold winds and salted meats.

Blackwood has rich soil and forest spices. I wanted to see if they could adapt to our flavors. I wrote down the word Region. Alpha Stone wrote the word Swap.

"The second theme is Regional Swap." Cassian announced.

I explained the rules.

"The Blackwood chefs must prepare a dish owned by the Moon Crescent Pack. The Moon Crescent chefs must prepare a dish owned by the Blackwood Pack. This would test your knowledge of the land. It's a test of cultural intelligence. It was a test of survival."

They all nodded in agreement.

We moved to the third parchment paper. This would be the final round. This would decide the fate of the harvest. I wrote the word Soup. Alpha Stone wrote the word Duck.

"The third theme is Duck Soup." Cassian read.

It sounded simple. But in a competition of this scale, simple is dangerous. There is no place to hide a mistake in a clear broth.

Any impurity would float to the surface. After all the themes were chosen, everyone agreed to the terms.

"Alpha Stone and I will be the judges." I stated.

I kept my voice firm.

"We will score each other's chefs. We will be fair but firm. The result will be final."

I dismissed everyone. The crowd began to leave the hall. The elders filed out first. Their robes dragged on the stone.

The northern chefs walked away with Alpha Stone. They were whispering among themselves. They looked satisfied.

Only Sophie remained. She stood in the center of the hall. She looked small. She looked at me. He eyes wide open. Her face was pale.

When everyone was gone, Sophie walked to me. The sound of her boots on the stone was sharp. It echoed in the now empty hall. I stepped down from the dais to meet her.

"Why did you give us three days to prepare?" Sophie asked.

Her voice was high. She sounded stressed.

"I saw you waving three fingers." I said.

My stomach drop. A cold realizationn spread across my chest.

"I thought you meant three days. I wanted to give you the time you requested."

"No." Sophie said.

She shook her head. She held up her hand again.

"I was trying to tell you that days would not be enough. I was telling you no. I was not giving you a signal for three days. I was trying to stop you from setting a date so soon. I need at least a week of preparation for a competition like this."

I looked at her. The weight of the crown become heavy.

My heart hammered. I misinterpreted her action. I had acted on an assumption. I had made the first mistake.

This was a competition that needed a week of preparation. The northern chefs had arrived with their ingredients already in mind. They were prepared for this reckoning. Sophie was not.

I had given her a deadline that was a death sentence. I looked at her hands. They were trembling. I wanted to reach out and steady them, but I couldn't. Not here. Not with the eyes of the palace always watching from the shadows.

The competition had not yet began. I have had my first failure. Does this signify we would fail?